The Smartest Way We've Ever Seen to Find the Right Job Applicants

Sometimes, in order to find the right people to hire for your company or team, it’s all about knowing the right place to look. And while there are plenty of obvious ways to do that—scouting for good folks at industry networking events, posting jobs on targeted job boards—sometimes it takes a little more creativity to find the ideal candidate.

That’s why we were so impressed when we discovered Flickr’s recruiting ploy. The company, which is currently looking for
tons of engineering and design roles
, decided to plant the fact that it was hiring exactly where those types of people would be looking. No, not on a job board—in the site’s source code.

This is an incredibly smart way to target the right kind of candidates. If Flickr were to solely post its jobs on any old job board, there’s a good chance it would get a lot of applicants who are generally interested in engineering jobs—but maybe not so interested in Flickr specifically. But by posting it in the source code, the company is attracting engineers who are curious enough about Flickr and how it operates to go poking around to see how it works.

The lesson? If you’re looking to hire for your company, think about how you can get creative to find the perfect candidates. (Oh, and if you’re looking for an awesome engineering role, learn more about what it’s like to work at Flickr, below!)

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Erin Greenawald is a freelance writer, editor, and content strategist who is passionate about elevating the standard of writing on the web. Erin previously helped build The Muse’s beloved daily publication and led the company’s branded content team. If you’re an individual or company looking for help making your content better—or you just want to go out to tea—get in touch at eringreenawald.com.